God Shed His Grace: Songs of Truth and Freedom“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” —Ronald ReaganIn 1981, Ronald Reagan took the official oath of office and became the 40th President of the United States. That same year a young 20-year-old songwriter from northwest Arkansas recorded her first album, and a few years later she caught the attention of listeners with her first No. 1 song, “The Warrior Is a Child.”Fast forward to 2012. Politics is the talk of the media as another election year is upon us, leaving Americans to decide who will be our 45th president. The 20-year-old girl who voted for Ronald Reagan in her first presidential election grew up to become evergreen artist Twila Paris, who today is a working mom, balancing career and family. With 22 albums, 33 No. 1 hits, numerous Dove Awards—including three for “Female Vocalist of the Year”—and over 1.3 million albums sold in the course of her tenure, Paris’ career contains almost as many significant milestones as our nation’s history. In fact, current events and the tumultuous ups and downs of American history have played an integral part in shaping Paris’ songwriting throughout the past 30-plus years of her career. Her 23rd release, God Shed His Grace – Songs of Truth & Freedom (eOne Christian Music), comes at a pivotal time in history. However, it’s a natural progression in the singer/songwriter’s career as Paris has always been a loyal patriot, and this album is a self-described “love letter and prayer” for her country.

“This is an album of encouragement for Christian patriots,” says Paris. “Though it is a collection, it’s not just a greatest hits album. These are songs that were hand-picked by me with a lot of time and thought as to which ones would speak to the hearts of those Americans, who are sometimes heartbroken and a little discouraged but faithfully standing where they are called to be.”